Apparatus and methods for vacuum chucking a substrate to a susceptor. The susceptor comprises one or more angularly spaced pockets are positioned around a center axis of the susceptor, the one or more angularly spaced pockets having an inner pocket and an outer pocket. The susceptor can be configured as an intermediate chuck having one or more pucks positioned within the inner pocket or as a distributed chuck having one or more pucks positioned within the outer pocket. The one or more pucks has a center hole, at least one radial channel and at least one circular channel having chuck holes for vacuum chucking a substrate.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the pockets further comprises a susceptor chuck hole.
3. The susceptor assembly of claim 2, wherein the susceptor chuck hole is configured to vacuum chuck a substrate through the holes.
4. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more pucks is positioned within the inner pocket depth.
5. The susceptor assembly of claim 4, wherein a vacuum suction slit is formed around the outer peripheral edge of the one or more pucks and the inner pocket.
6. The susceptor assembly of claim 4, wherein the top surface of the puck is substantially coplanar with the outer pocket top surface.
7. The susceptor assembly of claim 4, wherein the top surface of the puck is at a greater depth from the top surface of the susceptor than the outer pocket top surface.
8. The susceptor assembly of claim 4, wherein the top surface of the puck is a smaller depth from the top surface of the susceptor than the outer pocket top surface.
9. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more pucks is positioned within the outer pocket depth.
10. The susceptor assembly of claim 9, wherein the one or more pucks is configured as a distributed chuck.
11. The susceptor assembly of claim 10, wherein the one or more pucks further comprise at least one circular channel formed in the bottom surface of the puck, the at least one circular channel spaced a distance from and concentric to the center hole.
12. The susceptor assembly of claim 11, wherein there are in the range of 2 to 12 spaced circular channels formed in the bottom surface of the puck, each of the circular channels spaced at different distances from and concentric to the center hole.
13. The susceptor assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one circular channels further comprises a plurality of chuck holes extending from a bottom surface of the circular channel to the top surface of the puck.
14. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein a vacuum suction slit is formed around the outer peripheral edge of the one or more pucks and the one or more spaced pockets.
15. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the one or more pucks has six angularly spaced radial channels extending from the center hole of the puck.
16. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the one or more pucks has a plurality of ring-shaped channels concentrically positioned around the center of the one or more pucks, the plurality of the ring-shaped channels in fluid communication with the at least one radial channel.
17. The susceptor assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of ring-shaped channels have a plurality of radial holes extending through the thickness of the one or more pucks.
18. The susceptor assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one radial channel has a plurality of radial chuck holes extending from a bottom surface of the channel through the thickness of the body to the top surface of the body.
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September 23, 2020
February 14, 2023
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